Cry With Me
by heartland.finesse
Summary: While Georgie is preparing for her trip to Europe for her camp, she struggles with self pressure to continue to loose weight. Her eating disorder eventually effects everyone in the family which causes Georgie even more grief about her decision. (I upload every Tuesday evening U.S. central time)
1. The Fire Beneath Our Feet

"Faster. You aren't fast enough. A twelve-year-old can outrun you right now." These thoughts were spiraling in Georgie's brain. Every time she would go for a run, she would constantly put herself down assuming it would do something greater for her in the end. The truth is, it only made her work herself down.

Yeah, the amount of miles she ran would go up a half mile every few days, but her body was tired; she was tired. The thought of Europe and the circuit circled her thoughts as much as her self-criticism did.

Her eyes moved towards the fence-line gate. She slowed her pace to a quiet jog. Her calves were burning, but she told herself to keep going. Getting off the rough gravel felt great for her sore calves. She opened the gate, closed it behind her, then continued her run up the hill untill she could see the Heartland barn.

There was a tree near by with some shade. Panting, she grabbed the tree trunk and hunched over. Her legs? On fire. Her Lungs? They were gulping for air. Lastly, her stomach felt like it was twisting in knots over and over again. It got the the point where it was so knotted up, Georgie fell on her hands and knees and threw up. She only threw up water because she hadn't consumed anything but water in 24 hours.

"It's fine, you've only missed three meals. You're loosing the weight, think about that." She scolded herself. Georgie got back to her feet and walked the rest of the way home.

...

Georgie walked up the porch steps getting ready to walk inside for a nice cold drink, but she was stopped.

"Hey Georgie!" Amy called from the barn.

"Hey, what's up?" She turned around.

"Lyndy and I set up a table for lemonade in the barn. Want some?"

"Umm," She hesitated thinking about all the sugars that there would be in the lemonade. "You know I was actually just going in to get some water-"

"Aww come on Georgie; it would mean alot to Lyndy!" Amy said as Lyndy walked out and held Amy's hand.

"Alright." Georgie sighed as she walked down the porch steps.

She walked in the barn to see a table with the cutest lemonade jug with cups all set up for Lyndy. It reminded Georgie of a tea party scene in one of those 18th century movies.

"How cute, Lyndy!" Georgie said squatting down next to Lyndy's baby seat.

"Here you go," Amy poured some ice-cold lemonade in Georgie's glass.

"Thanks." Georgie could tell Lyndy was begging her to take a sip of the lemonade just by looking at the girl's eyes. She gave Lyndy a sad smile and slowly went for a drink.

She immediately took the glass away from her lips when she saw Ty pull his truck up.

"Daddy's home, sweetie! Maybe he wants some lemonade." Amy took Lyndy by the hand and a glass of lemonade in the other hand.

As they walked away, Georgie slyly tossed her lemonade in the grass on the other side of the barn and placed the cup back on the table. "Thanks for the lemonade, Lyndy! Hey, Ty." Georgie said as she started making her way back to the house.

"She drank that awful fast," Amy said with a confused face.

"Drank what?" Ty asked.

"Lemonade." Amy looked back at Ty and smiled while giving him a glass of lemonade.

"Oh! Did you and momma make this? Yeah? I bet it tastes so good. Lets go sit at your table, yeah?" Ty ran with Lyndy inside the barn as they laughed. Amy followed behind smiling.

...

Georgie:

I got myself some water, just a small glass, then went for the shower. I didn't want to drink too much water. After all, water weight adds on twice as fast.

As I stepped into the shower, it seemed as if the shower floor was coming closer and closer to my face. The room started to spin and gravity was taking my body. My legs became shaky and I thought I was going to collapse. I braced myself by placing my hands against the wet wall. 'It's all ok.' I thought to myself. 'you probably overworked it, just a tad.'

When I finished my shower, I slowly pat-dried my face, paying close attention to the feeling of the towel I was using. I felt like I could have fallen asleep just by resting my head on the soft fabric. I've never felt this exhausted before.

...

It was almost dinner time. Jack and Lou were working hard on creating a meal that included both a savory meat dish and a hearty vegetarian dish (Lou was fascinated with vegetarian food after Georgie introduced her to it).

"I think this is the first time where in one family dinner we can satisfy everyone." Lou smiled with her hands on her hips, looking proudly down at the beautifully displayed food dishes.

"What do you mean fully satisfy? This family has been satisfied plenty over the years." Jack huffed.

"I mean ever since Georgie started her training, and Dad's healthier eating habits since his cancer scare, it's been hard to keep everyone happy at the dinner table."

"Well I guess we're ready to have everyone happy at the table again. A-almost everyone I guess." Jack whispered.

"Grandpa," Lou's smile faded. She knew he really missed Lisa. She's been gone for so long now, she almost forgot about her. "I'm sorry she cancelled her flight again."

"I know," Jack placed a quick smile on his face.

"You sure you're okay?" Lou placed her hand on Jack's shoulder.

"Yeah I'm okay. Let's get these people inside to eat. Tim's comin' in five minutes so everything has to be placed accordingly at his seat. Or, we face the wrath." Jack laughed.

...

After about ten minutes, Jack, Tim, Amy, Lou, Ty, Katie, and Lyndy were all sitting at the table.

"Wow, guys this looks really good!" Amy smiled as her eyes widened.

"I'm glad you like it." Lou smirked, eyeing Jack.

"Hey where's Georgie? Since when does she get to skip dinner?" Tim looked around.

"Umm-" Lou started before Georgie walked in from the front door.

"Hey sorry I'm late. I had to finish my chores since I didn't have time this morning before my run."

"That's fine. Just come sit down now." Tim pointed to her seat.

Georgie's heart started beating faster and faster.

"Yeah, hun, I made that vegetarian recipe you sent me. It was really easy to make actually." Lou said.

"Uh do-do you mind if I eat later? It's just I haven't had alot of time to catch up on homework over the weekend. I have to work on a chemistry assignment that's due tomorrow." Georgie hoped and prayed that Lou bought her excuse.

There was a brief moment of silence with some slight stares from the entire family, except for the kids.

"Sure. Go ahead. I'll bring some dinner up to you later." Lou smiled, feeling concerned.

"Thanks mom." Georgie said bolting upstairs.

"Is she okay?" Ty asked.

"What do you mean? She's just been super busy. She already has more than the normal amount of stress for a teenager. She'll get over it soon." Lou knew something was wrong, but she could not convince herself to say it out loud.

...

About an entire week had passed. Each day, Georgie set her motivation to get out of bed everyday to stand on the scale. She was loosing weight, but it was getting to the point where she started to get underweight. Not noticeable enough for anyone to see, but noticeable enough for when she takes off her clothes. Her spine started to become ever so slightly more visible than the past week. She used her measuring tape to measure her waist and hips. her waist was 23.4 inches and her hips measured to 27.5 inches. 'Two more inches off than two days ago. You're doing okay.' She thought to herself.

Little did she know how much she was hurting herself. She was almost 112 lbs. She was originally a healthy 134 lbs before she started restricting herself.

Georgie knew deep in her heart that she was harming herself and it would effect her family eventually, but she could not keep the "perfect body" image out of her head. 'It's for the Euro camp. It'll be worth it.'


	2. The Wind Doesn't Blow Far

(Posted this chapter a few days early, so I might be updating more than once a week)

"Georgie, I miss you. We haven't talked in weeks. I didn't mean to make you late for your show, my car just...broke down. Maybe it was a sign or something. I know you've been kind of over working yourself lately. I'm just worried about you. Can we please talk? I love you."

Georgie threw her phone on her bed after listening to the voicemail from Wyatt. She felt guilty, but she did not feel like speaking to him about anything. Georgie knew it wasn't Wyatt's fault for his car breaking down. 'He'll probably be at my shift at Maggie's today so maybe I'll talk to him then.' she thought to herself.

Just before leaving for her shift, she put on her uniform. There was an excess amount of fabric on the sides of her dress and under her arms. A part of her was relieved; she thought she was loosing her "unnecessary" weight. It was not that at all though. Her goal for her weight was to get to at the most 110 lbs. She was at 112 still from the past week. It was still a major drop in weight. She ate a bit more in her past week, but the week before that, really nothing of her's was eaten. She didn't want her family to get too suspicious.

She grabbed a sweater to put over her uniform so nobody could notice anything. Tying her shoes, she noticed her ankles were a bit swollen. They were all puffy and a bit purple. She eventually managed to squeeze her feet into the shoes, but it was so painful. Her wrists were also a little swollen as well.

"Great. Serving people food is going to be fun today." She said sarcastically as she grasped her wrist.

Georgie started her mom's old SUV and continued down the Heartland gravel road. The road looked fuzzy in her eyes. She tried to shake her head to snap out of it, but it only became worse. She stopped the car right before she drove past the gate. The only thing she ate that morning was a few orange slices.

She placed her forehead on the steering wheel and gently closed her eyes.

"Please let it pass. Please let it pass."

Out her left side mirror, she saw Amy and Ty's blue truck coming, so she quickly started her car and began to drive past the gate blinded by her fuzzy vision.

...

"Are you excited to see the llamas?" Amy turned her head to the backseat of the truck where Lyndy was sitting in her carseat. She smiled and giggled while holding her lamby. "Ty, this was a great idea. A family getaway for the afternoon is just what we needed."

"I think so too. Bob was kind enough to let us use his fancy two-row ATV instead of the golf cart. We can bring Lyndy's carseat and put it in the back." Ty smiled, feeling that he accomplished a great "steal" for his family getaway.

"Really? He's letting us use it? I thought Bob just bought it though. You aren't paying him, are you?" Amy raised her eyebrow with a smirk on her face.

Ty's smile turned into a curious look as he watched straight ahead of the truck. "Didn't Georgie go to work?"

"Yeah, why?" Amy asked with a concerned look on her face.

Ty pointed forward to Lou's car that was parked off the road.

"Why is she parked there?"

"I have no idea." Ty began to speed up a little to make sure that the car didn't break down or anything. Before he could even get within 100 feet, the car started and immediately drove forward. "What the hell?" Ty whispered.

"Maybe she was having trouble starting it?" Amy suggested.

"That's what I was thinking. That car is nowhere near new, but it hasn't had any problems before. At least that I know of." He sped up till he could drive side-by-side with Georgie. Ty honked his horn twice to get Georgie's attention.

She slowly came to a stop with him then rolled down her window. "Hey, what's up?" She smiled.

"You good? We saw your car parked for a while. I didn't know if it was acting up." Ty asked.

Georgie tried to think of something quick and believable. "Yeah, uh, it stalled so I drove it off the road and tried to start it again, but it wasn't working the first few times I tried. It eventually got going though."

"I can look at it after your shift if you want."

"Uhm-no. That's okay though." She was itching to leave this situation she got herself into.

"Georgie, it's dangerous to drive a car that's stalling. I'll fix it when we both get back, okay?" Ty smiled.

"Yeah sure," Georgie face-palmed herself on the inside. "Thanks. I gotta get to work now though."

"Don't let me hog the road," Ty laughed. "See you later." He drove in front of Georgie slowly so he didn't accidentally scrape Lou's car.

"Bye Georgie!" Amy called before closing her window.

Georgie raised her hand and waved. As soon as they turned the corner, she let out a huge sigh. She knew the car didn't stall, and she knew she just lied. There wasn't anything she could do now.

...

Georgie:

My shift was almost over. I had ten minutes left before I clocked out. No sign of Wyatt yet. Now I feel bad. I should have called him-let him know what's going on. I hoped that Wyatt's mom didn't know anything about me ignoring him. Just my luck she was walking towards me now. 'keep it together. She's nice and won't want to know details. I hope.' I reassured myself in my head.

"Hey Georgie!" She said putting her purse in the storage cabinet.

"Hey." I smiled, trying to act natural.

"How've you been?" She put on her apron and started reading over the orders.

"I've been...good! Umm...ho-how's Wyatt doing?" Oops. I regret saying that.

"Funny you should ask, you two are always talking. According to Wyatt of course. You two are still talking, right?"

I have to admit I was a bit surprised Wyatt was lying to his mom. I didn't want to screw anything else up, so I played along with it. "Yeah I know. We have. It's just that we haven't been able to talk to each other...in person lately." I half smiled, praying that she wouldn't ask any more of it.

"Oh. I know you two have been busy lately. He just got a job fixing cars at his friends dad's place and I know you've been training hard for your trip to Europe." She smiled as she got to work.

"Yep. Yep we are." I let out a few fake chuckles and walked into the store department awkwardly. Man was that a weird conversation.

I looked up to here the store door ring as it opened. Just to my luck, Wyatt walked in. I tried to act like I didn't know he was there. It didn't last long, though. He started walking towards me with his hands in his pocket, trying to act natural.

"Hey Georgie." He said with no expression of happiness on his face. "So, you haven't been returning my calls..."

"I know. I know I haven't and I realize you've been calling me-"

"Look I know I screwed up, but it wasn't intentional. I really wanted you to make that show."

"I know you did, and it wasn't your fault. I overreacted a bit. Kim said it shouldn't effect my chance to get into the Euro camp."

"Hey when do you find out about you getting in anyway?"

"Tomorrow morning." I shivered at the thought. It came so quickly that I forgot about it up until the point he asked me.

"Wow, tomorrow. Well I'll be rooting for you to get in." Wyatt smiled and nudged me on the shoulder with his fist.

"Thanks," I smiled, but then it faded when I saw his face. I've been such a jerk to him. "I'm really really sorry for how I acted to you-"

"No, Georgie really its okay." He interrupted.

"No, it's not okay. I was acting like a jerk to you when you were just trying to do something for me. Can you forgive me?"

"Of course I can." We both hugged each other, but almost immediately, Wyatt pulled away. "Woah, uh,"

"What? What's wrong?" My heart started to race a little.

"How hard are you training for your jumping?" Wyatt placed the back of his hand to lips.

"Um 3 hours a day. Why?"

"Georgie, when I hugged you, y-you're waist," He paused.

All that was going through my mind was terror. I didn't want anyone to notice. It was happening. He's going to tell everyone. How do I handle this? My throat had a lump that was lodged inside it. I could hear my heart beating so fast. I thought I was going to faint.

"I could feel that you've lost alot of weight." Wyatt looked like it was so painful to get those words out of his mouth.

"It's a good thing," Those were the first words that came to mind. "I needed to get fit so Pheonix wasn't going to have to work so hard to get us both over the jumps." I swallowed hard. There was no way he was going to take that.

"You don't have to loose your weight to become a better athlete. You need muscle training, not loosing weight you didn't need to loose. Georgie, you were a perfectly normal weight." Wyatt grabbed my hand. It throbbed when he did because of how swollen it was.

"That's not true," I gently ripped my hand away. "I know for myself what my perfect weight is. I know you care, but I'm fine. I've been training my muscles too."

"Really?" You could tell that his face was full of disbelief.

"Yeah. Yep. I have. All I've been doing is toning myself up. Can you believe me when I say that I'm NOT trying to hurt myself? You know me. I would never do that." Tears filled my eyes. I knew I was hurting myself, but I didn't want to burden anyone with the thought.

"Georgie,"

"Please." I begged.

"Alright. But that doesn't mean I'm going to stop worrying about you. 3 hours a day is still overdoing it."

"Wyatt can we be done with this? I'm tired and need to go home. My shift is over in two minutes."

"Yeah, sure, of course. I'll grab your stuff for you." Wyatt kissed me on the cheek and walked towards the storage cabinet for my things.

...

I pulled up to the house exhausted. It was a difficult drive home. My mind kept going blank and my hands and feet ached.

I walked into the house to the family sitting down for dinner.

"Hey Hunny," Lou got up and kissed me on the forehead. She tried to hug me but I dropped my phone on purpose so she couldn't touch my body.

"Oops. Sorry about that." I bent down and grabbed it.

"Why are you home so late?"

Excuses...let me think. Well there was a hot new movie playing at the theater. That could work. No, that's stupid. "I was just really tired and I didn't want to drive fast."

"I can tell. You poor thing, those circles under your eyes look like lack of sleep to me." Lou placed her thumb under my eye.

"What can I say? Algebra finals." I smirked. "Do you mind if I just go to bed? I already ate at Maggie's." No, I did not. I did not eat at Maggie's.

"Yeah of course. Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm okay." I said starting to walk up the stairs.

" Hey, Georgie wait," Ty stopped me. "Let me see your keys. I can look at the car tonight so you'll have it tomorrow."

I nodded and tossed him the keys from the stairwell.

"What's wrong with my car?" Lou asked raising an eyebrow.

"It was giving her a hard time with the starter today." Ty said biting into his salad.

"Yeah, it stalled on me."

"Oh, It's never done that before." Lou shrugged.

"Yeah I know. Well I'll see you tomorrow okay? Goodnight guys."

Everyone responded to my goodnight with a cool toned 'goodnight'.

...

Before I crawled into bed, I set my alarm for 6:00 a.m.. Kim was going to call me at 6:30 to let me know if I got in or not. I don't know what to expect. My performance has been at it's highest except for my missed show. Thoughts of doubt crawled through my brain all night before I eventually fell asleep. I truly didn't know what to expect.


	3. Don't Worry, Be Happy

Georgie:

"Mom," I barged into Lou's room early the next morning. My heart was beating so fast I thought it was going to explode.

"What? What's wrong? Is everything okay?" She sat up in her bed, dazed and confused, trying to focus her sight on me.

"I...I.." I was panting so hard. I never do this. It usually takes alot for me to pant this hard. "I got in." I finally managed to slip the words out of my mouth.

"To the Euro camp?" Lou stood up seeming fully aware now.

All I could do was nod and smile.

"Oh Georgie! That's amazing!" She hugged me so tight. I could feel how well she must have slept by how warm she was.

I placed my arms on her waist so she couldn't touch mine. She wrapped her arms around the tops of my shoulder's. "Thank you." I whispered.

"I'm so proud of you," Lou wiped her eyes. "Your dad is going to be here this afternoon so you'll be able to tell him the news in person."

"Mom, are you crying?" I let out a guilty laugh.

"Of course I am! Look what you've accomplished; what mother wouldn't cry?" Lou laughed.

I smiled a grateful smile, I would have never been able to get this far without her love and support. "Thank you so much for everything, mom." I gave her one last big squeeze. "I'm going to call like...everyone I know right now." I said sarcastically, but still laughed.

"Alright you go do that," Lou sniffled and smiled at me. "I love you." She called to me.

"I love you too." I said as I ran up the stairs back to my room.

...

After getting ready for the day, Georgie decided to practice her jumping course before Kim came. In the barn, Mitch was trimming Maverick's hooves.

"You two going somewhere?" Georgie asked.

"Uh yeah. Jack, Tim and I are going to drive the cows into the East pasture to the corral. They haven't been checked out by a vet in over a year. I'm just trying to keep Maverick's hooves in shape before I leave." Mitch said.

"Oh," I nodded. "Is Ty going to help you out?"

"No not this time. He had to work this afternoon. He said he'd help out next time though."

Georgie smiled and tacked up Pheonix. "I guess I'll see you in a few days then?"

"Yeah I'll be back in two days on Monday."

"Awesome. I actually have a show Monday evening; it'd be great if you could come and watch." Georgie put a "please come" look on her face.

"I wouldn't miss it." Mitch shook his head laughing.

"Okay, great. I'll see you Monday then." She smiled then started to walk Pheonix out to the arena.

Before Georgie opened the front gate, she heard someone call her from behind.

"Georgie," Ty called. "I put your keys on the kitchen table inside." He pointed to the house.

"Thanks," She called back. Then She remembered there wasn't really anything wrong with Lou's car. "So, did you fix it?" Georgie asked.

"I couldn't find anything wrong with it. Maybe next time it stalls you can call me before you try to start it again." Ty said as he threw his vet bag in the back of his truck.

"Oh, maybe it was just my fault then," Georgie shrugged, but she didn't think Ty heard her. Her eyes then moved next to Ty's truck to see their big blue truck was missing. "Hey did Amy go somewhere?"

"Yep she had a last minute clinic at fairfield that she was asked to fill in for the original host who was sick last minute."

"Ohh, okay, that's cool." Georgie said opening the gate. 'that's why Lyndy was with Lou.' she thought to herself.

Before she could open the gate wider than Pheonix, a rush of pressure blasted across her body. She hunched forward, because she thought she was going to throw up. Once she caught her breath, she stood up and tried to swallow her nauseous feeling. She noticed she was sweating, but a cold sweat. An uncomfortable feeling shook her body. 'What's going on?' she thought to herself.

Once she felt ready, she mounted Pheonix. She set up her course the night before so she didn't have to right before Kim came. A few jumps in, she felt fine. Nothing but adrenaline filled her veins. This is what she was training for. Nothing was going to stop her from disappointing herself, and her parents; especially Lou since she sold he business for her, or at least that's what she thought.

After turning a few corners, her head felt heavy, like it would pull her over on the side of Pheonix. She tried to shake the feeling away, but it gradually got worse. Eventually, Georgie gripped onto Pheonix's mane and squeezed her thighs as hard as she could. She tried to slow Pheonix down to a stop, but her voice was too quiet and her hands were too weak for body signals. As he went for the next jump, Georgie managed to find the strength to lead him away from it. Sharply, Pheonix pulled away from the jump and headed for the fence. Before he could jump over the fence, he quickly jumped to a stop and turn sideways, causing Georgie to go flying off the side of her saddle.

Georgie:

I didn't know what else to do. I tried my hardest to pull Pheonix away from the jump. I pulled as hard as I could. Bracing myself, I found the strength, my seeming last strength, to lead Pheonix away from the jump. I saw myself heading towards the fence. I tried to stop, but my eyes were growing dark. Within a few seconds, I felt the jerk of a stop and my body was thrown from my saddle. Falling, my head smashed against the fence post, causing my strap to break from my helmet. As soon as I heard the unforgivable "SNAP" of my helmet strap, I blacked out.

...

"Man, I wished I could've helped today with the cows. If only you pushed them tomorrow, but I know you couldn't." Ty said walking back into the barn after placing his vet bag in the truck.

"It's okay. We were planning this day for a while now, so it's not a big deal." Mitch shrugged unclipping Mavrick's halter.

"Yeah, I understand," Ty placed his elbow on the stall door. "What time are you guys heading out?"

"In a couple of hours. We were planning on going early, but then the vet booked his morning so we pushed for a later time last week."

"Which vet?" Ty asked intrigued.

"Uh Doctor Clement I think her name was?"

"Oh yeah, I've heard of her." Ty said nodding his head.

"Is...is she bad or something?" Mitch asked with a concerned face.

"No! No. I've just heard she always has a tight schedule is all." Ty laughed.

"Okay, good. You had me worried for a second." Mitch laughed as well.

Before they could say anything else, they heard a high-pitched screaming whinny coming from the arena outside. Mitch quickly tied up Maverick and quickly ran outside. "What the hell was that?"

Ty didn't respond. He stopped once he saw Pheonix rearing with Georgie slipping off the side. Once he had recognition that she fell on the fence post, he saw Pheonix jump the fence. Mitch ran for Georgie, and Ty caught Pheonix.

Ty tied up Pheonix's halter to the corral then jumped the arena fence like a mad-man.

Mitch tossed the broken helmet aside that was covering her face. "Georgie?" He tried to shake her shoulders to get her to wake up, but almost immediately, Ty grabbed Mitch's arms.

"Don't. She could have a head or spinal injury. You don't want to make it worse." Ty said, feeling for a pulse on her neck. "She's got a pulse and she's breathing. I think she just got knocked out."

"I'll get Lou and call 9-1-1." Mitch said getting up and ready to run back to the house.

Before he could get anywhere, Georgie moaned and slowly started to move her arms.

Georgie:

I slowly opened my eyes, seeing nothing but stars and spots for a few minutes. It was so hard to open them. It felt like anvils were placed on each eyelid. There was a high-pitched ringing blasting through my ears. It hurt so bad. I managed to move my eyes to meet two people; one kneeling and one standing above me. I couldn't make out their faces, it was like my vision was as blurry as looking underwater. I could hear my heart beating. Every heart beat was a punch to my head. Everything felt like it was on fire.

The person standing was now kneeling next to me too. From both voices, I heard very muffled "Georgie? Are you okay? What happened? Are you hurt?" I felt those words so many times that they started to become more and more clear. One more person came and stood over me. It looked as if they were on the phone. My vision then started to clear up too. Before I knew it, I could recognize the people. Lou was crying over me on the phone, Mitch had his hand on my shoulder, gripping it hard, and ripped of his hat, which was weird considering I rarely see him without a hat, and Ty had his hand placed on my head asking me so many questions that I could not comprehend.

"Did-did she hit her head? The operator wants to know, did she?!" Lou asked hysterically.

I wanted to nod, but my head felt like it was going to burst if I tried.

"Don't move, Georgie. It's okay," Ty said reassuring me. He knew I was just as freaked out as Lou was. Well, maybe not AS much. "Do you know if you hit your head at all?"

"I-I think...Yeah. Yeah I think I did. I think I'm okay though." I didn't really know if I was okay. I just wanted to sit up. I started to, but it hurt so much trying. I let out a cry when I sat up enough to get eye level with Mitch and Ty.

"Woah, easy, easy," Ty said gripping one arm and Mitch the other. "Just take it easy."

When I was finally sat up, my back was placed against the fence and mitch supported my neck.

"Mom, I don't...I don't need to go to the hospital I'm fine." I said struggling to breathe.

"They said if you hit your head you need to go, sweetheart." Lou said firmly, but still with tears in her eyes.

"Georgie, if you have a head injury you need to go. It's dangerous not to." Ty looked at me more calmly then Lou did, which was nice considering the stress of the situation.

"I don't though." My voice broke. I was ready to cry. I didn't work this hard just to end up with some stupid head injury.

Ty bit his lip. It looked like he was wanting to say more, but he didn't want to make it worse.

"You're gonna be okay kid. You're gonna-" Mitch's half smile faded.

"What?" Ty whispered, but I could still hear him.

Mitch didn't say anything. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him show Ty his hand that was supporting my head. It was coated in blood from the fingertips to his wrist. Lou screamed and my heart dropped. There was no way of getting out of going now.

"Hand me your shirt," Ty said holding out his hand and pressing against the back of my head with his other.

"Yep," Mitch said taking off the long-sleeve shirt that was over his short-sleeve.

Ty wadded up the shirt and wrapped it around my head like a bandage. I felt it press against the wound on the back of my head and screamed and grabbed Ty's arms trying to pull them away, but he was too strong to let me pull them away. I finally felt the pain of it. I don't think I was in shock anymore.

Lou got off the phone and sat next to me, comforting me. "They're going to be here soon, okay baby?" She kissed my cheek and stroked my hair.

The pain of it all was too much. My eyes felt heavy again. The voices disappeared. The weight of my body was lifted. I slowly blacked out once I saw the wet blood dripping off Mitch's hand. The last thing I remember before fully going unconscious was my mom's face, full of sadness, full of tears, looking at me.


	4. Through The Shallow End

(I apologize this chapter is a bit short! Chapter 5 is about two days of a time jump, so stay tuned next TuesdayXD)

Georgie: I was in the hospital for about two hours before an actual doctor saw me. I was shoved into room after room until I was in a private room with nobody that could see me except my mom and Peter, who had just gotten to the hospital about 30 minutes. Ty was there too, but he stayed in the waiting room because he had to make a few phone calls. Mitch was here as well, but he left once I got a doctor to see me, since they he allowed only immediate family members.

"You must be Georgina, and you two must be her parents. I'm Dr. Curassic." He said placing his clipboard on the side table.

"Georgie," I half smiled.

"Nice to meet you, Georgie," Dr. Curassic smiled as he grabbed his flashlight from his pocket. "Look at the tip of my ear for me," He widened my eyelid with his thumb then quickly flashed his light side-to-side. He did the same for my other eye. "So, tell me how this happened?"

Before I could even say anything, Lou told him an entire story. "She was jumping her horse. Georgie is a competitive show jumper, but today she said she felt dizzy. She fell off her horse right at the worst spot; the fence. It made a huge gash on the back of her head." Lou pointed to the back of my head, which was covered with a white bandage.

"I see," Dr. Curassic removed the bandage from the back of my head gently then turned back on his flashlight. "Yeah, this will need a few stitches, but not too many. I do want to order a head CT just to make sure no damage has been done." He smiled.

"Okay, how long do those usually take?" Peter asked rubbing his head.

"It shouldn't be more than a half hour," He said to Peter then turned back to me. "Your mom said you felt dizzy. Have you ever felt like that before?"

"Um, no. I don't think I drank enough water that morning though." I said hoping to cover what really was happening.

"Okay," He patted my knee. "I'm going to go get a stitch kit, I'll be back in about five minutes."

I nodded, nervously. I've only gotten stitches once, but it wasn't on my head.

...

Before Dr. Curassic left the room, he asked Lou and Peter, "Could I talk to you both outside for a few moments?"

"Of course." They both said then looked at each other worried.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to do some more tests. It's not normal to get dizzy just by not drinking water in the morning. Going all day maybe, but not so early in the day. I'd just like to make sure everything is normal." Dr. Curassic said, softening his voice.

"Y-yes absolutely, do whatever you think is best for our daughter." Peter said.

"Is she going to be okay? Is something really wrong here?" Lou choked up.

"We'll figure that out as soon as we can Ms. Fleming." The Dr. nodded then walked away.

"I just can't help to think something's not right. When I hugged her this morning, she was all sweaty, but she was freezing. I didn't want to say anything because she had just got accepted. What if I asked her about it this morning? Maybe she wouldn't be in here. She wouldn't be hurt..." Tears broke into streams falling down her face.

"Hey," Peter grabbed Lou's shoulders and turned her to face him. "This was not your fault. However this happened was supposed to happen. Maybe this was meant to be. If something is actually wrong with our daughter, because of her fall, we could know now instead of later. Okay?"

Lou nodded and placed her head against Peter's chest as she tried to control her tears before she completely broke down.

Peter wrapped his arms around her back, comforting her. "She'll get through this. She's the toughest out there."

...

"There. All done." Dr. Curassic said placing the needle and stitch material down on the tray.

"Wait really? I could barely feel anything." Georgie laughed.

"That's the whole point of that numbing shot I gave you." He laughed.

"Oh, yeah, I definitely felt that one."

"Yes, but it saved you from five minutes of discomfort," Curassic said standing up and taking his gloves off. "So in about ten-ish minutes, a nurse will come take you to CT. One of you can come also." He said to Lou and Peter.

"Alright, thank you." Lou half smiled as he walked out of the room. Lou then turned to Georgie. "Sweetie, do you mind if Peter and I take a walk for a few minutes? One of us will go back to your CT with you."

"Yeah, sure." Georgie nodded. "You don't have to come if you don't want to." She shrugged.

"One of us are going to be there for you, that's the end of it." Peter laughed.

"Okay then." Georgie shook her head, laughing.

After they'd been gone for about five minutes, the door burst open. "Oh my gosh, Georgie," It was Amy with Ty right behind her. "I left my clinic as soon as I could. I wish I could've been here sooner."

"Amy, it's okay, I had plenty of support here," Georgie looked at Ty and smiled.

"I'm just glad you aren't really hurt or anything. I mean you are just not so much or-"

"I get it, don't worry." Georgie interrupted her. "Besides, it would've been a lot worse if Ty and Mitch weren't there." She showed Amy her bandage, but it was a tan bandage this time.

"Did you already get it all stitched up?" Ty asked sitting down with Amy on the edge of Georgie's bed.

"Yeah. They're also taking me to get a head CT I think in like five minutes."

"Good." Ty nodded.

"I won't be able to go in with you, but I'll be here after if you need me." Amy said placing her hand on her shoulder.

"Thank you, I appreciate it more than you guys know," Georgie fixed her eyes on the both of them. "and thanks for doing whatever you did to keep me intact getting here," Georgie laughed as her and Amy both looked at Ty.

"It's nothing I wouldn't have done if that was anyone's situation." Ty shrugged, trying to be modest.

"But you did it for me and that means a lot." Georgie smiled.

Ty smiled back, but before he could say anything, a nurse came in earlier than expected asking to take Georgie.

"Wish me luck?" Georgie asked with a nervous smile on her face.

"Of course," Amy reached forward and hugged Georgie tightly.

"Good luck, Georgie." Ty fist-bumped her as she climbed into the wheel chair the nurse provided.


	5. Chicken Soup

"She missed two shows. There is no way she'll be able to still qualify for Europe." Kim was in the Heartland kitchen talking to Lou and Peter."

"Wait, what? I thought she already went through the process to qualify." Peter said.

"Yes she qualified, but there are more eligible options out there who don't miss shows who signed up after Georgie. They can swap her out."

"Okay, you do know that this past missed show wasn't her fault," Lou crossed her arms.

"Well maybe, yes, but-"

"She got a concussion! She was out of the show for medical reasons. She can heal from it." Lou's voice broke.

Peter placed his hands on Lou's shoulders to try to calm her down.

"You told me that it was caused from mental and physical stress that she fell like that. It only happened two days ago, she's going to need at least a week." Kim shook her head.

"That stress? That was strictly from her training you've been having her do. She wants to be you, Kim." Lou said trying to quiet her voice so Georgie wouldn't hear her.

"Im sorry, you're blaming her stress on me?" Kim's eyes widened.

"Well what else is this from? Nobody here is pressuring her to do this."

"That pressure isn't coming from me. It's coming from herself."

"Exuse me?" Peter took a few steps forward, appalled.

"Well not all of it. I've heard some if it is from you, selling your business for her and all." Kim looked at Lou.

Lou just stuttered. She couldn't think of anything to stay, but instead just looked at Peter.

"Lou never sold her business for Georgie in that way. She did it so she wasn't away from home as much." Peter defended Lou.

"Yeah, and I was confident that it was in good hands in New York. I am still running it here in Hudson." Lou unfolded her crossed arms.

"Well you might want to explain to her the real reason. Look where it brought her," Kim raised her arms and shrugged. "I've got to go. I'll keep you updated to see if they still accept her, but don't expect great news." Kim grabbed her coat and walked out the front door.

Lou and Peter took a minute just to take it all in. Then she turned to Peter. "I can't believe this, it's all my fault. I did this to her, I should've explained better."

"It's not your fault Lou. She's a teenager. Teenagers take parent's words the wrong way sometimes. Hell, even us adults can do it." Peter said.

"Yeah maybe, but I should've followed up with her. All this stress she's been under; it's taken away her fun, happiness, and her health. Peter, she was physically starving herself!" Lou put her hand to her mouth to stop any sobbing noises that may have come out.

"We'll talk to her about this when she's feeling better, for right now, we make sure her head heals before getting her into a stressful topic." Peter suggested.

"You're right, but I am making it my priority that she eats something," Lou walked over to the cabinet and grabbed a chicken soup packet.

"Don't force her, just encourage her to. We don't want to make it worse."

"Peter, she needs to eat. Who knows how long this has been going on." Lou argued.

"Lou, just please don't force her okay?" Peter yelled loudly, but then put his hand to his eyes and cringed his face. "I'm sorry, it's just-" He paused.

"It's just what?" Lou asked with a surprised face.

"Nothing. Just please don't force her. Not for me, but for Georgie." Peter walked away slowly.

"Okay..." Lou looked around dazed. She knew something was up, and was definitely going to get to the bottom if it.

...

Up in her room, Georgie laid in her bed, wearing the clothes she had been wearing for the past two days. Feeling depressed, she decided to scroll through her contacts to see if she could delete any. She thought about deleting Olivia's, but she knew she'd probably come crying to her again about her horse.

There was a slight knock at her door. Quickly, she put her phone down and acted like she was asleep.

"You awake, Georgie?" Jacks quiet voice said.

Georgie was willing to talk to him so she rolled over.

"Can't sleep?" He asked coming fully into the room.

She shook her head. "It's kind of hard to when your head feels like a hammer is banging against it." She chuckled softly.

"Yeah," Jack sat down on the end of her bed. "I remember when I got a concussion way back when on the circuit." Jack laughed to himself.

"Wait, really?" Georgie sat up.

"Yep. Wasn't very pretty. I was stupid back then. I decided to ride a bull that day, of all animals."

"You? A bull?" Georgie laughed.

"Yeah I know," Jack shook his head. "Let's just say I ended up needing two weeks of bed rest."

Georgie noticed that Jack was holding a cup. "What's that?"

"Oh it's water. For you. You need to hydrate or else it's not going to heal as fast." Jack handed Georgie the cup.

"Thanks, Jack." Georgie slowly sipped the water.

"You should change. Maybe take a shower. It'll feel nice." Jack patted my foot then stood up.

"Thanks, but I'm good. I'm not even supposed to shower till tomorrow anyway because of my stitches." Georgie pointed to her head.

Jack nodded. "Well, drink that water and try to get some more sleep. Stay off that phone." He pointed.

"I will." Georgie said as he shut the door.

Almost immediately, she chugged the water down her throat in a few seconds. She was so thirsty, but she never wanted to go downstairs to get a drink. She didn't want to talk to anyone because of their knowledge about her eating. Shaking, she placed the cup on her nightstand. She was in pain, hungry, and exhausted. Bursting into tears, she grabbed her pillow and squeezed it. "Why is this happening to me?" Her voice was so weak it sounded like a whine. Slowly, but surely, Georgie cried herself back asleep.

...

In the barn, Pheonix was weaving consistently in his stall. It was like he knew that Georgie wasn't alright, that she wasn't there for him in the mornings, afternoons, and nights. What partner wouldn't feel the same?

Amy walked out of the loft with Lyndy on her hip. "Are we going to have a super fun day with the horses?" She said with a baby voice as Lyndy laughed. Before heading out the office door, she heard Pheonix anxiously whinying. She then saw him moving his head back and fourth. "Come on, buddy." Amy frowned petting his nose.

Ty walked down with a suit and tie on. "Hey, I'm about to leave." He said, but Amy didn't respond. "Amy, you know there's nothing we can do. Jack's been riding him. Once Georgie's better, she can ride him again. We can't put him in the pasture. He'll jump."

"I know," Amy turned around and faced Ty. "I just hate seeing him like this. This happened not too long ago remember? When she ran away? I can't believe how upset he gets."

"You of all people should know a strong connection between a horse and rider." Ty smiled and kissed Lyndy on the head.

Amy smiled again then looked at Ty's outfit. "You look very handsome," She stroked his sleeve, feeling the fabric of his suit. "What's the occasion?" Amy raised her eyebrow.

"I have a conference with the vet board."

"Oh?" Amy asked intrigued.

"It was a last minute thing, but after our saving of Shooting Star, they tell me they want to "offer" me something, whatever that means." Ty shrugged.

"Is that a good or a bad thing?"

"I have no idea. I guess I'll find out."

"Okay, well, good luck. Call me as soon as you get out of the conference." Amy said.

"I will, bye." Ty kissed Amy on the lip then kissed Lyndy on the cheek.

"I love you!" Amy called back to him.

"Love you too!" Ty called back.

Amy pulled out her phone and shot Georgie a text.

Hey. I hope you feel a little better today. Pheonix misses you! We all miss you.

Back in her room, Georgie woke up from her notification. She read the text and sighed. She looked to her nightstand that had a full soup bowl and and empty water cup. She got out of bed and took out some fresh pj's. She showered then came back. Eventually, she decided to eat her food, but only the broth. It was a start. There was no way Georgie was getting therapy for this, she was too embarrassed. With a sigh, she took the scale out from under her bed. She took one look at it, then hid it in her drawer under all her clothes. She didn't want to feel helpless anymore, or not good enough. Slowly but surely, she'd get back on track.

(Chapter six might be a little late next week because I'll be very busy. Thank you for your patience every week!)


	6. Hurt and Comfort

I am sooooo sorry for such a late update! I have been super busy with work and finals. I hope you enjoy this chapter and I plan to update a lot sooner than this time.

Lou:

It's been about a week since Peter and I spoke in person to Kim about Georgie. Peter just came back from a short weekend business trip and was at the house, but I was on my way home from Maggie's, because I was interviewing someone for an assistant manager position.

As I walked through the front door of the house, I noticed it was fairly quiet. "Hello?" I asked.

"Oh, hey Lou." Peter stood up from the couch. He looked stressed.

"Hey," I set my bag down. "Where is everyone?"

"Uh, Georgie's in her room and Katie went with Jack down by the pond."

"Ok," I walked into the living room and glanced at Georgie's stairwell. "Is something wrong? You look stressed out."

"Um," Peter rubbed his head then shrugged. "When I came in the house today, I saw Georgie doing it again."

"Doing what? What are you talking about?" I asked quieting my voice so Georgie couldn't hear me.

"Jack said she made lunch for Georgie right before he left. He talked to me right as he and Katie were going to the pond. I walked inside and I saw Georgie throwing her lunch down the garbage disposal."

"Are you serious?" I stepped closer to him shocked.

"I know, I thought she was done, but something must have changed. I know she usually wears makeup everyday, but today, she wasn't wearing any. She looks exhausted and worn down. She needs help." Peter emphasized.

"Peter what is going on? Have you talked to her? Is that why she's in her room?" My voice felt like fire. A huge ball of anger but sadness built up in my throat like a knot.

"Yeah I'll talk to her. Let's sit down, I want to tell you something." Peter gestured me to sit with him.

Still confused, I sat down next to him. "So, what is it?"

"My sister um, she went through the same thing Georgie is going through now."

"Wait, what do you mean? I thought she went through Cystic Fibrosis not an eating disorder."

"She had always had CF, but when she was about 14, I noticed she started to slowly stop eating. It was difficult for her to exercise because her lungs couldn't keep up with her, so she chose to eat nothing instead of eating at all. It progressed to the point where she wasn't getting the nutrience she needed to keep a healthier rate with her disease, so it caused her CF to get alot worse. Then she passed because she was too far down on the lung transplant list."

"Peter, I didn't know the whole thing, I'm so sorry." I was surprised. Forever I seemed to only know about the CF diagnosis, but I never knew the full story. "Is that why you were so agitated the other day when I was making Georgie soup?"

"Yeah, sorry about that." Peter chuckled.

"No I get it. That's really personal to you."

"Yeah," Peter sighed. "I know a place where she could go to get help. We could try to help her ourselves, but, honey, if this gets too out of hand, I think we need to do something about it."

I shook my head then put her hand to her forehead. "I know. I agree. I want to help her before, you know, shipping her off to some shrink or support group." I said disgusted.

"It'll be the only way if she continues." Peter shrugged.

I looked at him and nodded while tears filled my eyes.

...

The next morning, Wyatt was over doing homework that was assigned for their last class of the year. Him and Georgie both sat at the table with their notebooks sprawled open and science textbooks scattered all over the table.

"I hate chemistry with a passion." Wyatt said shaking his head.

"Well, we only have this last assignment and then our final exam. It'll be over before you know it." Georgie smile.

Wyatt looked at Georgie for a moment then smiled. "What's got you all cheered up today? You usually hate doing chemistry."

"And I do hate it, I just feel that it's time to start, you know, getting motivated to get it done?"

"Yeah I get it," Wyatt nodded. "I like seeing you happy again."

Georgie smiled then got back to her work.

In the loft, Amy was feeding Lyndy her breakfast and Ty was on his computer, working from home that day. Lou came up the stairs quietly running.

"Oh hey Lou. What's up?"

"Good morning guys." Lou walked over to Lyndy. "And to you too my sweetest niece ever." She kissed her on the forehead.

"Excuse me," Ty said reaching for something behind Lou.

"Oh, sorry," She moved over.

"Is everything okay? You look worried." Amy asked.

"Um, can I talk to you? It's about Georgie." Lou said quietly, but Ty must have heard because his head turned at his desk.

"Is she okay?" Amy asked with a quiet voice.

"Uh, yeah, yeah." Lou tried to smile but it faded to a quivering lip. "No." She shook her head and started crying.

"Lou? What happened?" Amy grabbed her sister's shoulders.

Ty stood up from his desk and walked over.

"She-she's not-" Lou tried to get the words out but all she managed to speak was "She's doing it again, and this time it's out of my control."

"Wait what? I saw her a yesterday morning and she was eating breakfast." Ty said.

"Did you see her finish it all?" Lou shook her head.

"Well, no, but she must have."

"Yeah I saw her eating dinner two days ago. I didn't see her last night." Amy put in.

"Well Peter saw her dump her food in to the garbage disposal yesterday, and she was too upset with us to come down for dinner last night."

"Lou where is this going?" Amy looked confused.

"I'm saying she's sick Amy!" Lou yelled which caused Lyndy to look at her. Lou took a deep breath and said more quietly "Sick in the head and body."

"She has to know what this is doing to her." Ty thought out-loud.

"Oh I'm sure she does. Peter and I were going this weekend to speak to counselors and doctors that could help, but grandpa and dad are gone. I can't leave her. not like this-"

"Lou we can stay with her." Amy said looking to Ty then back at Lou.

"Yeah we'll make sure she'll be alright." Ty nodded.

"You guys are serious? You'd keep an eye on her for me? She doesn't need a babysitter but-"

"We got it Lou." Amy smiled.

"It'll be okay. You go and figure out whatever you need to this weekend." Ty said.

"Thank you both so much." Lou hugged Amy and Ty both. "We're going to figure this out."

"We know you will." Amy said.

"We'll leave at noon and we'll probably be back either late tonight or early tomorrow morning."

Amy walked up to Lou closely before she left. "Are you and Peter,"

"No, Amy. If we do say, it's separate rooms." Lou whispered.

"Okay, be safe." Amy half smiled.

"I will. Thank you guys again."


	7. Hell's High For Good Reason

(wow. Long time no see. Im back and ready to write again. I hope this story still gains some interest. I still love this project with all my heart and it is my mission to finish it)

Chapter 7

Hell's High For Good Reason

Georgie:

From my room, I hear my parents yelling goodbye downstairs. They said something about a meeting somewhere. I don't know. They also said they'd been gone all weekend. Now I will have two less people shoving food down my throat for a few days. Hopefully when they're gone they will realize how pushy they have been. Well, actually, Lou was the pushy one. Peter did not really do much pushing.

But just when I thought things could get better, I found out Amy and Ty were sent to babysit me. Just. Great. If I needed watching I would ask for it. Well, maybe.

"Georgie, we got you something!" Ty called.

I sighed and got out of bed. My hair was a mess and my room smelled like food. The reason is because I would bring my food upstairs and hide it until I could throw it away when nobody was watching.

I threw on a sweatshirt because it was freezing in the house. "Hey what's up?" I walked into the kitchen rubbing my eyes, yawning. Amy, Ty, and Lyndy were all in the kitchen.

"We found this and thought of you. Found it at Maggie's." Ty handed me a gift.

I opened it confused. I took the wrapping paper off and opened the small box. I pulled out a beautiful painted horseshoe designed to be a picture frame. I gasped with delight. "This is so beautiful! You guys didn't have to-"

"Think of it as an early grad present." Amy said

"Thank you so much." I hugged the both of them.

"Lyndy picked it out." Ty laughed.

"Did you?" I asked tickling Lyndy.

Jack walked in looking concerned. "Um, Tim told me to meet him in the back pastures. Apparently some of the fences broke out and some of the cows escaped." He said grabbing his hat.

"Oh, do you want help? I could go tack up Spartan." Amy said.

"That's a good idea. Ty why don't you come too, make sure non of them got hurt?" Jack asked.

"For sure. Georgie can you watch Lyndy?" Ty handed me the diaper bag.

"Can't I go?" I asked. I have been itching to get back on Pheonix.

"Georgie, you have to wait three weeks to ride, remember? And besides, Katie and Lyndy need someone to watch them." Jack said opening the front door.

I sighed and grabbed the diaper bag Ty handed me. He patted me on the shoulder then walked out the door.

Amy stopped in her tracks and turned around to face me. Was she going to stay so I could ride? Was this it? "Hey dinner is in the fridge in the container. There's enough for you Lyndy, and Katie. Just remember to cut the noodles up small enough so she can swallow them. Thanks!" She left.

Nope. She didn't ask me to go with Ty and Jack. Just asking me about heating up dinner. I put Lyndy on her play mat and plopped on the couch. Time went by and I just scrolled on my phone. It was getting late. Crap. Dinner.

I made dinner for the girls and there was one portion left. The noddles smelled so good. Maybe if I just took a bite, it wouldn't hurt. NO. it WILL. I have to start listening to my gut instead of my heart. My heart just wants happiness, but my gut knows what's best for me. I dumped the rest of the dinner down the garbage disposal. Good thing Katie was at the table and didn't see what I was doing. I heard Lou tell her that if she saw me dump my food out ever, to tell her.

...

It was around 8 o'clock. No sign of Amy, Ty, Jack, or Tim. I walked Katie and Lyndy up to the loft in the barn. Katie and I bathed Lyndy and put her to bed. I turned on the TV quietly for Katie. "If Lyndy cries at all, let me know. I'll be down in the barn." I grabbed the baby moniter from the counter and put it in my pocket.

Katie gave a small nod and continued to fix her focus on the TV.

I walked down in the barn and saw Pheonix. I unlocked the squeaky gate and I embraced him with a big kiss on his nose. "How ya' doing, boy?" I stroked his mane. "I've missed you more than you know. I can ride you again next week. Isn't that exciting? We can jump our hearts out for as long as we want to."

Pheonix let out a puff from his nose. I let out a giggle.

A car pulled up towards the barn. The lights were blinding me. I covered my eyes with my arm in hopes to see who it was. Then things started to get a bit fuzzy. Two shadow figures walked towards me. Then those two figures became four. Two with cowboy hats and two without. "Oh, you're home." I managed to say. I found it difficult to speak. Like when I fell of Pheonix. I think I was slurring my words, even though I could perfectly think of what I was going to say. The darkness of the night started to turn white. I don't know exactly what was happening. I shook my head to get the feeling away, but it just made it worse.

I heard echos of voices around me. I could make out "Where are the girls" "Are they in the house" "What's wrong" "Are you alright". I pointed my finger up and stated "Upstairs." After that, everything faded.

Ty:

After we safely returned the cows to the pasture, we made it home. All of our phones died, probably because of the cold. We pulled up to the barn and I could see Georgie by Pheonix. My first thought was Lyndy. I ran up to Georgie asking her where she was. She looked confused, like she couldn't understand what I was saying. Amy ran up behind me. Before she could say anything, she was staring at me yelling at Georgie for answers. Georgie started slurring her words and stammering. Amy grabbed my shoulder and pulled me towards her.

"The monitor is in her pocket, Lyndy's upstairs." Then she walked in front of Georgie. "Georgie are you okay?" Amy asked.

Georgie pointed up, evidently saying "Upstairs."

"See what did I say?" Amy turned towards me but I didn't look at her.

I watched Georgie slowly start to rock sideways and close her eyes. She let out a sigh and her body threw backwards towards the gate to one of the stalls. I grabbed her before she could hit her head on the stall or the floor.

"Oh my-" Amy covered her mouth.

"Amy, go get Jack." I said with a shaky voice.

"What? No im not leaving you and Georgie." Amy said as her voice began to break.

"Go get Jack now!" I yelled. I didn't want to yell and I didn't mean to either.

Georgie was semi-conscious. Opening and closing her eyes constantly were the only movements she was making. I would try to talk to her, but no answer. "Georgie, you're gonna be okay, can you talk to me? Can you hear me?" The only responses I would get from her was painful groans.

Jack and Tim came running into the barn. I picked Georgie up bridal style so I didn't so any damage to her head and neck. "Someone needs to stay with Lyndy and Katie, they're in the loft upstairs." I said.

"I'll stay." Amy said.

"I'll stay too, but you need to get her to the hospital now." Tim said opening the back of my truck so I could get in the back with Georgie.

"Im driving, Ty you make sure she's alright." Jack said climbing into the front.

"I'm going to let Lou and Peter know." Amy pulled out her phone and ran back into the barn.

"Be safe, call with updates." Tim said.

"Will do. Now go make sure the girls are alright." Jack said as we started to drive away.

In the truck, Georgie's head was laying in my lap as we drove off.

"Ty is she even awake?" Jack asked.

I shook her hand, and asked her questions, but she still only made painful noises. I grabbed a pin from my pocket knife and poked her fingers to see if she responded. She squeezed her hand, which was good. I tried the other hand, but no motion. "Jack she's responding to pain only on one side. I'm not a doctor but I think this is a stroke."

"Oh my God, help her." Jack whispered his prayers.


	8. High Hopes

Chapter 8

High Hopes

Georgie:

I opened my eyes confused, and disoriented. I'm not sure where I am. From what I can feel, I'm laying down. I can't make out anything else. Voices were spinning around, the sound bouncing off the walls as the pitch stabbed my ear drums. I tried to scream, but I couldn't speak. It hurt to move, even worse than when I fell off Pheonix. It was hard to breathe. Everything was hot. I didn't know what to do.

...

Jack and Ty were talking to the doctor while standing in Georgie's hospital room.

"It was as you thought, Georgina had a stroke," Doctor Shink faced Ty. "I've given her a drug called TPA. It can minimize the damage done by the stroke, dissolving the clot. If we had gotten her 10 minutes later than we did, the clot could have blocked any blood flow to her brain completely, killing all her brain cells."

"She could've been brain dead?" Ty asked but he already knew the answer. She would have been brain dead.

"Yes, but thankfully she's not. When she becomes conscious, I am going to run some more tests. I want to make sure we aren't missing anything. I do want to ask a question though, was there anything going on with Georgina that could have led to this? Lack of proper nutrition possibly? Her blood pressure was extremely high when she came in." The doctor said.

"She has been having trouble with in-taking really any foods at all recently. She came in a couple of weeks ago because she got dizzy, fell off her horse and got a serious concussion. She wasn't eating because she thought she needed to constantly loose weight to ride well. Her parents are at a meeting in Calgary right now with people who can help her." Jack said with a shaky voice.

The doctor took notes. "Thank you for telling me, I am sure this hasn't been easy for any of you. now that we know the source, we're going to get some fluids in her right away."

"Thank you, Doctor Shink." Jack said shaking the doctors hand, Ty did as well.

"Was Lou and Peter called about this?" Jack asked Ty, rubbing his eyes.

"Amy texted me. She said they're on their way," Ty shut off his phone.

"Good." Jack said sitting down in one of the two chairs in the room. "She has so much to live for."

Ty sat down, looking at Jack confused. "Jack, you heard the doctor, she's going to be okay."

"Strokes take a long time to come back from. She shouldn't have even had one in the first place." Jack shook his head.

Ty tried to speak, but he was cut off from the moans of pain coming from Georgie.

Both Ty and Jack ran over to her, insisted her not to move. Georgie's eyes were not opening, but they were squeezed shut. She was thrashing side to side, trying to escape both of their arms. "I'm getting the doctor." Ty ran out of the room.

Squirming in his arms, Georgie fussed around uncontrollably while Jack was holding her. With his voice he tried to calm her down quietly, and eventually she slowed down.

Ever so slightly, he released Georgie from his arms and placed her head on her pillow. "That's it." Jack said.

...

Georgie:

"Georgina?" A voice was echoing. The name was pinned to my brain. That's me. I'm Georgina! Please, can't you hear me? I'm screaming! Help me!

Ty: I watched as the doctors flashed her eyes with his flashlight, maybe seeing if they're dilated. Georgie started moving again, but not like the last time. She slowly blinked and moved her left hand to her face.

"Georgina?" Doctor Shink asked. "Can you hear me? Blink twice if you can hear me."

Georgie blinked twice. Jack and I made a huge sigh of relief.

"Georgina, nurse Carter and I are going to test your hands and feet, blink twice if that's alright with you."

Again, Georgie blinked twice. Jack and I stepped back as the doctor came around towards the end of her bed. He took out a needle that looked very similar to a sewing needle. Carefully, he pressed it on the bottom of Georgie's foot, causing her to flinch and whimper. "Excellent. So far signs of response on the lower left extremities." Doctor Shink looked at the nurse waiting for her to write it down. He did the same with her left hand. Again, Georgie flinched, indicating a sign of response.

Then Doctor Shink moved to her right foot. There was a response, but not as much as he wanted. Then he moved up to her right hand; no motion response. "Georgina, can you feel this?"

Georgie let out a slight grunt indicating she did not.

"M-maybe you didn't press hard enough?" Jack stammered.

The doctor let out a sigh and tried again. "Can you feel this?"

Georgie's face turned ghost white. She slowly shook her head.

Doctor Shink threw the needle away and gave Georgie a rewarding response to her reactions.

I looked at Jack then looked back at Shink. He motioned for Jack and I to walk outside with him.

I immediately spoke, giving my concerns. "She was barely responding, or even if at all, to her right side. Is she paralyzed? Is it temporary?"

"Mr. Borden, please," Doctor Shink interrupted my rambling words. "This was one of the tests I was talking about. Right now I am not the most concerned. This happens with the majority of our stroke patients. Until we test further, we won't know. Your neice, and your great granddaughter, is in great hands. My nurse will get back to you on any updates." The doctor placed his hands on both mine and Jack's shoulders then walked back into Georgie's room.

"Do you suppose he's right?" Jack looked at me.

"I'm not sure, Jack," I sigh. "I guess what we really have to do is wait."


End file.
